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The Touch That Could Change the World
By Susan Cotta
The results are in - Children who apply compassionate touch to playmates to help relieve pain strengthen self-esteem and positive behaviors, according to research conducted by The Upledger Foundation based in Palm Beach Gardens, FL.
The four-month Compassionate Touch study was carried out at schools in Ohio, Texas, Florida, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota and California. Conducted with 560 children in grades K-2, the program centered on a simple hands-on technique called “Direction of Energy” that allows children to help classmates who sustain minor injuries. The results show statistically significant increases in pro-social behaviors, and equally significant decreases in aggressive and hostile behaviors.
“We’re gratified by the outcome,” says John E. Upledger, D.O., O.M.M., founder of The Upledger Foundation and its nonprofit healthcare charities. “It confirms my long-held belief that compassion is inversely related to violence. When children help others, they feel better about themselves. That alone can do wonders to ease potential violence as little ones grow into teenagers and young adults.”
Before and after each program, teachers assessed the children using the Social Skills Rating System (SSRS), a 57-item inventory of social skills, problem behaviors and academic competence designed for grades K-6. At the conclusion of the study, students demonstrated statistically significant increases in social skills, including cooperation, assertion and self-control. They also exhibited statistically significant decreases in problem behaviors, such as externalizing and hyperactivity.
For the children followed for two years, the results continued to be significant. “They were also consistent from class to class, school to school and state to state,” Dr. Upledger adds. “So the benefits clearly apply to children across the board.” While the formal research study has concluded, plans are in place to implement the program in schools across the country.
As a licensed physical therapist and a certified Upledger Institute instructor, I’m a big fan of Compassionate Touch. Yet, in our society, children have been taught for years not to touch. While that’s understandable from a safety standpoint, we also know that touch is essential for our well-being. Study after study on both humans and animals have demonstrated that we need touch to survive. The skin is our largest sensory organ. By denying the potential for touch with our children in our schools, and in our homes where parents are absent, we affect them in a profoundly negative way.
There are safe ways to implement Compassionate Touch and I illustrate these in my book, “I Can Show You I Care: Compassionate Touch for Children” (North Atlantic Books and UI Enterprises, 2003). I wrote this book specifically to introduce the importance of compassionate touch to children, teachers and parents.
In the book, I tell the story of Patrick, who trips over a tree root while playing with his dog in the backyard. After his father uses the compassionate touch technique on Patrick’s bruised knee, the pain subsides. The next day after Patrick discusses his experience during Show and Tell, his teacher suggests trying the “helping hands” technique at school. Gradually, thanks to Compassionate Touch, the children in Mrs. Pendleton’s second grade class become more considerate. They even stop the hurtful teasing that had become second nature.
With Compassionate Touch, I believe we can reintroduce the idea of touch in a safe way. The whole process begins when one child asks another for permission to touch, which is just one of its safeguards. And while my book is fiction, the results are real. We’ve seen huge decreases in aggression and increases in positive behaviors, which our society sorely needs.
Truly, this book is about a lot more than touch. It’s really about how children can begin to change the world for the better.
To learn more about the Compassionate Touch program, for book readings or to start a compassionate touch program with a small group of children, please feel free to call me at (508)674-7395 or email me at: suecotta@verizon.net.
Susan Cotta
Sue Cotta is a licensed physical therapist in Massachusetts and Rhode Island and a nationally certified athletic trainer. Her hands-on practice includes the spectrum of infants to adults with an emphasis in treating children, especially those on the autism spectrum.
She has been teaching CranioSacral Therapy for the Upledger Institute for over seven years. Her practice is located in Swansea, MA and you can contact her at 508-982-1100 or by email at suecotta@verizon.net.
If you’re frustrated and looking for a less invasive option to getting pregnant, call me (508)982-1100. All treatments are done fully clothed in a private, caring and professional session.
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